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Trudeau upped the number of federal ministers from 30 to 35 and shuffled the portfolios of six. Perhaps the most noteworthy was parliamentary secretary and former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair’s appointment as the minister responsible for border security and organized crime reduction. In the Trudeau government, Blair’s been best known as the government’s top salesman for pot’s legalization.

Bill Blair is congratulated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after being sworn in as Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 18, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Others moving up to the Liberals’ front bench are Mary Ng, who becomes minister for small business and export promotion, Pablo Rodriguez, who takes on the role of minister of heritage and multiculturalism, Filomena Tassi, who becomes minister of seniors, Jonathan Wilkinson, who is the new minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Dominic LeBlanc becomes minister of intergovernmental affairs, northern affairs and internal trade with Wilkinson filling his former role. Ameerjeet Sohi switches from infrastructure to natural resources minister, filling the spot of Jim Carr, who becomes international trade diversification minister. Our Kelsey Johnson took a look at the tricky file that he inherits. Carla Qualtrough adds the accessibility portfolio. Mélanie Joly was replaced replaced by fellow Montrealer Pablo Rodriguez as heritage minister. Anna Desmarais gauged the reaction of National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde’ on Rodriguez’s appointment. François-Philippe Champagne is the new minister of infrastructure and communities, leaving his post as the international trade minister. Treasury Board President Scott Brison is the new minister of digital government. Carolyn Bennett remains in cabinet as the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, but loses northern affairs. Joly ended up as minister of tourism, official languages and la francophonie. Government House Leader Bardish Chagger was relieved of her secondary duties overseeing tourism and small business.

Just a hop, skip and a jump from the new cabinet members’ swearing in at Rideau Hall, Conservative deputy leader Lisa Raitt held a presser reacting to and criticizing the prime minister’s fresh appointments. As iPolitics’ Anna Desmarais reports, Raitt took particular aim at LeBlanc’s move to intergovernmental affairs, saying that he’s been “heavy-handed” in government dealings in the past. She also criticized Blair, saying his appointment will intensify “acrimony” between the feds and Ontario’s government over the influx of asylum seekers into Ontario. It was infamously Blair’s department that investigated Premier Doug Ford’s brother, the late mayor of Toronto Rob Ford, over his use of drugs, at one time saying the Toronto Police Department had recovered footage “consistent with what has been described in the media,” about the video of the former mayor smoking crack. Blair served a notice of defamation against Doug Ford after he accused Blair of leaking damaging information about his brother to the Toronto Star.

Ontario’s Environment Minister Rod Phillips accused her federal counterpart Catherine McKenna of being “dogmatic” in her approach to climate change by locking her focus on pricing carbon while his own government prioritizes fighting just that. “We will take this to the Supreme Court if that’s what’s necessary,” Phillips told reporters Wednesday about Ontario’s cap-and-trade and its reluctance to impose a federal carbon tax. iPolitics’Marieke Walsh has more details.

Ontario’s Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Michael Tibollo is catching flak for comments about Toronto’s Jane and Finch neighbourhood that are being called stigmatizing, insensitive, and compromising. Tibollo brought up the neighbourhood when asked if Doug Ford’s government would bring back to practise of carding. “I want to reassure everyone that the focus of this government is to ensure that safety is paramount in all communities. Personally, I went out to Jane and Finch, put on a bulletproof vest and spent 7 o’clock to 1 o’clock in the morning visiting sites that had previously had bullet-ridden people killed in the middle of the night,” Tibollo said. “I was appalled,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who added that he should withdraw from overseeing the community safety and correctional services file immediately. Marieke Walsh has the story, too.

Three of Canada’s largest Indigenous organizations rejected the invitation from the Council of the Federation to meet with premiers Wednesday. The heads of the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Métis National Council each declined to join the premiers conference in New Brunswick. The province’s Premier Brian Gallant said it was unfortunate that the groups chose to decline. “It’s a chance to really have a very sincere dialogue on how we can work together,” Gallant said. “So, I think it’s an opportunity missed if they don’t come to the meetings.” That story is from the Canadian Press. As well, here’s a primer from CBC Newson what’s likely to be on the docket at the premiers’ conference.

Once-registered Republican James Comey is urging Americans to vote for democrats in the upcoming midterm elections this November. The former FBI Director made the plea on Twitter, saying the current Republican Congress has failed to live up to the country’s founding ideals. As Time reports, Comey’s urging comes just after U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest flip-flop act about his belief that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Comey was head of the FBI when the organization launched its probe on this topic and was removed from his position by Trump just over a year ago.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

It was White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders’ turn today to take the stand in defence of Trump’s comments made about Russian meddling. She denied that the president said he didn’t believe Russia is still targeting the United States, instead claiming that Trump was declining to answer reporters who were shouting questions when he said “no” to a question on Russia’s current efforts. Watch that clip, from CNN.

Liberal MP for Brampton East Raj Grewal was more concerned about the shuffle to the Toronto Raptors’ roster than his own party’s cabinet. The Raps traded four-time all star and long-time face of their franchise DeMar DeRozan in a package deal to acquire San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard.

Former NBA bad-boy and American ambassador to North Korea wannabe Dennis Rodman is planning on bringing Kanye West on his next trip to hangout with his buddy, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Rodman traveled to Singapore last month to witness the landmark summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim. Describing the experience to CNN, the five-time NBA champ broke down in tears of joy. Part of the reason Rodman wants to bring West to North Korea is because he says, “he’s doing amazing work around the world.” That story, you’ll never guess it, is fromUs Weekly.